Proposed Guildwood church location opposed by residents

Print

E-mail

Text

Canadian National Railway land off Galloway Road is where Bell Canada wants to put a telecommunications tower Guildwood residents rejected on a village church property, Ward 43 (Scarborough East) Councillor Paul Ainslie says.

Bell has told the city it wants the tower built on a woodlot the CNR owns south of the tracks and anticipates a public meeting about the project soon, he said in an interview this week.

"I think they've learned their lesson," he added. "I would be very surprised if they would thumb their nose at my community."

Julie Smithers, a Bell spokesperson, said the company is "currently in negotiations with a specific location" but would not name the owner of the desired site.

Bell signed a 20-year lease with Guildwood Community Presbyterian Church last July for a tower on its Guildwood Parkway property. A year ago, more than 100 neighbours opposed to the tower crowded a meeting at the church after hearing news of the deal.

By June, the church, which had pledged to give the proceeds of the lease to charities, yielded to community pressure on aesthetic and health concerns by asking Bell to cancel its lease.

The new tower location would let Bell satisfy customer requests for better wireless coverage in Guildwood, though not as well as the church property would have, Smithers said.

"The original location would have provided superior coverage."

Bell expects to host a meeting about a possible deal for the new site next month, Smithers said, adding the company will release the church from its contract should the present negotiations succeed.

"However, at this point the church is under contract," she said.

Bruce Morrison, a church spokesperson, said Guildwood Presbyterian has had no formal response from Bell since asking for a cancelation.